Delectables: Local, seasonal, exceptional tastes to try

Joel Gorthy @JGorthyRG

Wednesday

Nov 21, 2018 at 12:01 AMNov 21, 2018 at 8:36 AM

Homespun holiday jams and chutneys

She now resides on the Oregon Coast, but Jennifer Burns Bright still is well-known to many Eugene foodies. The food educator and travel writer formerly contributed food columns for Eugene Magazine, co-hosted KLCC radio’s “Food for Thought” and tended the popular blog Culinaria Eugenius. She also is a certified OSU Extension – Lane County Master Food Preserver, and her homemade Burns Brightly Cannery jams and chutneys are great for holiday gift-giving. Bright hand-picked and foraged all of the fruits and berries herself on the south coast. She doesn’t use artificial pectin, and crafts her all-natural, full-sugar jams in the slow-cooked European style. Available flavors are Apple Butter Vin de Noix, infused with homemade black walnut liqueur; Apple Butter Candycap, infused with wild candycap mushrooms that taste like maple syrup; Strawberry Rhubarb Jam; Oregon Coast Hike Jam, with blackberries, huckleberries, blueberries and Sitka spruce liqueur; Cranberry Chutney with fresh Cape Blanco cranberries and dried fruit; Apple Chutney with Smoked Jalapeños; and Pear Mincemeat with winter spices, almonds and raisins (no meat). Cost is $8.50 per half-pint jar; available for shipping with a four-jar minimum or for local pickup Dec. 10 when Bright travels to Eugene. Email for orders and shipping rates. jenniferburnsbright@gmail.com; jenniferburnsbright.com

Fresh fall ferments from the farm

In the Eugene area, ciders don’t get much more local than those from Evenfall Farm Grown Fermentations. Founded by husband and wife Brian and Leah Moore, Evenfall crafts wild-fermented and barrel-aged ciders from fruit grown at ME & Moore, the farm of Brian Moore’s parents on Seavey Loop Road just south of Eugene. Low-intervention, centuries-old cidermaking methods allow authentic tastes of heirloom apple varieties to shine through in seasonal releases. New for fall are the latest vintage of the flagship dry cider Wayfinder ($17/750 ml) and the debut Tempest gose-style cider ($8/500 ml) with sea salt and coriander. Aged 18 months in neutral oak barrels, the vintage 2016 Wayfinder features a blend of five apple varieties and flavor notes of baked apple, baking spice and vanilla. A single-varietal cider made from ‘Gravenstein’ apples and barrel-aged 10 months, easy-drinking Tempest has refreshing notes of citrus, herbs and ocean spray. See website for retail locations and more information. drinkevenfall.com

Ocean’s bounty in a bag; just boil and serve

There might be no easier way to enjoy a hearty seafood feast than by picking up a Cajun Boil Bag from Fisherman’s Market. Just drop the bag in boiling water to heat for 5-7 minutes and serve (or take a seat there and they’ll do it for you). Each bag is a pre-cooked meal for two, including half of a Dungeness crab; 1 pound of crawfish; 3/4 pound of in-shell clams; 3/4 pound of New Zealand green-lipped in-shell mussels; 1/2 pound of andouille sausage; a whole ear of corn; potatoes and Cajun butter, all for $30 (or less when ordered without certain ingredients). Learn more about this and other prepared meals from the Fisherman’s Kitchen line of products in The Register-Guard on Nov. 25. 830 W. Seventh Ave., Eugene; 541-484-CRAB; eugenefishmarket.com

Specialty honeys are real taste treats

Eugene-based GloryBee is creating a buzz with distinctive honey products that show how much more the bee’s best can be than simply sweet. For one, Artisan Fermented Honey ($14.99/8.45 ounces; pictured at left) is made in Thailand from the prized golden-sweet honey produced by bees that feed on longan tree nectar. Naturally fermented and barrel-aged for six months with green tea for added softness, the flavor-packed but delicately sweet liquid can serve as salad dressing, beverage flavoring, marinade, drizzle for meats and vegetables, and all-around balsamic vinegar substitute. And the Pumpkin Spice Creamed Honey ($9.59/12 ounces; pictured at right) blends the rich flavors of homemade pumpkin pie with the mild sweetness of pure classic clover honey. Spread on toast or muffins for an instant pumpkin pie fix; add to coffee or tea; top ice cream, pancakes or waffles; bake into cookies and cakes; even sweeten your holiday feast with a pumpkin spice honey-glazed ham. 29548 B Airport Road, Eugene; 800-456-7923; glorybee.com

A place for apizza and a pint

Apizza is not a misspelling, but a style of pie with a thin charred crust, characteristically featuring tomato sauce and oregano but light on the cheese. Eugeneans not yet familiar with the style — made popular in the New Haven, Conn. area — might come to appreciate it at The Wheel Apizza Pub, open since April in WildCraft Cider Works’ former Whiteaker neighborhood location. The pies here feature naturally leavened dough and organic produce, and a rustic, crisp charred finish from a coal-fired oven. The pizzeria also is a true brewpub. A full array of ales and lagers are crafted in-house by Trevor Ross and Tobias Shock, formerly of Claim 52 Brewing and Agrarian Ales, respectively, who teamed up with local restaurateur and Tacovore founder Steve Mertz to round out The Wheel’s offerings. 390 Lincoln St. #101, Eugene; 541-735-3860; thewheelapizzapub.com

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